شَطتْ نَوَى مَنْ يَحُلُّ السِّرَّ فَالشَّرَفَا

مِمَنْ يَقِيظُ عَلَى نَعْوَانَ أَوْ عُصُفَا

The determination of one who would unravel the secret showed nobility,

From one who awakes to the calls of mounts or to a loud cry,

حَتَّى إِذَا الرِّيحُ هَاجتْ بِالسَّفَى خَبْتاً

عَرْضَ البِلاَدِ أَشَتَّ الأَمْرُ فَاخْتَلَفَا

Until when the wind stirred up the dust with blowing,

Across the land the matter became confused and they differed,

أَمَّا اليَمَانِي مِنَ الحَيَّيْنِ فَانْشَمَرُوا

وكُلِّفَ القَلْبُ مِنْ دَهْمَاءَ مَا كَلِفَا

The right wing of the army dispersed

And every heart was assigned its share of cares,

وقَرَّبُوا كُلَّ صِهْمِيمٍ مَنَاكِبُهُ

إِذَا تَدَاكَأَ مِنْهُ دَفْعُهُ شَنَفَا

And they drew near each beloved comrade

When warding off his thrusts made him recede.

إِذَا تَثَاءَبَ أَبْدَى مِخْلَبَيْ أَسَدٍ

قَدْ عَادَيَا الحَنَكَ الأَعْلَى ومَا عُطِفَا

When he yawned, he bared the claws of a lion

That had contended with the upper jaw, and it did not turn away.

حَتَّى إِذَا احْتَمَلُوا كَانَتْ حَقَائِبُهُمْ

طَيَّ السَّلُوقِيِّ والمَلْبُونَةَ الخُنُفَا

Until when they took up burdens, their saddlebags

Were the excellent work of Saluqi and the soft leather of Khunf.

فَلاَ أَرَى مِثْلَ أُخْرَاهُمْ إِذَا احْتَمَلُوا

وَلاَ أَرَى مِثْلَ أَولَى رَكْبِهِمْ سَلَفا

I do not see any like their rear guard when they took up burdens,

Nor do I see any like the first of their riding company aforetime

أَجَدَّ قَطْعاً عَلَى نَاجٍ ونَاجِيَةٍ

إِذَا أَلَحَّا عَلَى أَلْحِيهِمَا أَسِفَا

More quick to cut off the intimate conversation of a companion and his beloved

When they persist in their intimate discourse of longing.

عَيْثاً بِلُبِّ ابْنَةِ المَكْتُومِ إِذْ لَمَعَتْ

بِالرَّاكِبَيْن عَلَى نَعْوَانَ أَنْ يَقِفَا

A flirtatious glance from the daughter of Maktum when she shone forth

To the two riders to stop at the halt of the mounts.

خَوْدٌ تَطَلَّى بِوَرْدِ المَرْدَقُوشِ على

المِسْكِ الذَّكِيِّ بِهَا كَافُورَةً أُنُفَا

A cheek that adorned itself with myrtle's blossoms over

Pure musk, mixing with it camphor as perfume.

أَعْطَتْ بِبَطْنِ سُهَيٍّ بَعْضَ مَا مَنَعَتْ

حُكْمَ المُحِبِّ فَلَمَّا نَالَهُ صَرَفَا

She yielded to the belly of Suhayy some of what she had refused

To the authority of her lover. So when he attained it, he turned away,

وَلَوْ تَأَلَّفُ مَوْشِيّاً أَكَارِعُهُ

مِنْ فُدْرِ شُوْطٍ بِأَدْنَى دَلِّهَا أَلِفَا

As if a camel-driver who yokes his camels would be friendly with her

If the saddlebags' fringes touched the slightest part of her flank.

عَوْداً أَحَمَّ القَرَى أُزْمُولَةً وقِلاً

عَلَى تُرَاثِ أَبِيهِ يَتْبِعُ القُذَفَا

A aromatic twig that heated up the villages and seldom

Followed his father's inheritance but pursued what was discarded,

إِذاً تَأَنَّسَ يَبْغِيهَا بِحَاجَتِهِ

إِنْ أَيْأَسَتْهُ وإِنْ جَرَّتْ لَهُ كَنَفَا

Then he would be intimate, seeking her for his need,

Whether she despaired him or drew her lap close to him.

مَالِلْكَوَاعِبِ لَمَّا جِئْتُ تَحْدِجُني

بِالطَّرْفِ تَحْسِبُ شَيْبِي زَادَنِي ضَعَفَا

Why, O flirtatious one, do you stare at me

With a glance, thinking my gray hair has increased my weakness?

يَتْبَعْنَ مِنْ عَارِكٍ بِيضٍ سَلاَئِقُهُ

بَعْضَ الَّذِي كانَ مِنْ عَادِاتِهِ سَلَفِا

There follow me some consequences of a censured whiteness,

Some of the habits he was known for aforetime.

وكَانَ عَهْدِي مِنَ اللاَّئِي مَضَيْنَ مِنَ

البِيضِ البَهَالِيلِ لاَ رَثّاً وَلاَ صَلِفَا

My experience of those white, shining women of the past

Was neither depravity nor corruptness.

يَسُفْنَ بَوِّي عَلَى شَحْطِ المَزَارِ كَمَا

سَافَ الأَوَابِي قَرِيعُ الشَّوْلِ إِذْ عَرَفَا

He will mourn for my monument among the graves as

The solitary, unfortunate owl mourned when it recognized.

قَدْ كُنْتُ رَاعِيَ أَبْكَارٍ مُنَعَّمَةٍ

فَاليَوْمَ أَصْبَحْتُ أَرْعَى جِلَّةً شُرُفَا

I used to be the shepherd of pampered maidens,

But today I have become the shepherd of an aged flock.

أَمْسَتْ تِلاَدِي مِنَ الحاجَاتِ قَدْ ذَهَبَتْ

وقَدْ تَبَدَّلَتْ حَاجَاتٍ بِهَا طُرُفَا

My assets from needs have gone,

And new needs have changed places with them.

وليْلَةٍ قَدْ جَعَلْتُ الصُّبْحَ مَوْعِدَهَا

بِصُدْرَةِ العَنْسِ حَتَّى تَعْرِفَ السَّدَفَا

And a night I had made its appointment at dawn

At the Pleiades, until it recognizes the cooked meat.

ثُمَّ اضْطَبَنْتُ سِلاَحِي عِنْدَ مَغْرِضِهَا

ومِرْفَقٍ كَرِئَاسِ السَّيْفِ إِذْ شَسَفَا

Then I prepared my weapons at the place of its cooking,

And a elbow like the hilt of a sword when it flashed.

هَوْجَاءُ تَجْتابُ أَوْسَاطَ الجَهَادِ بِإِرْ

قَالٍ قَذَافٍ إِذَا دِيكُ القُرَى هَتَفَا

Driving camels that penetrate the midst of struggle with

Quick, bounding, bounding again when the village cock crows.

مُسْتَخْرِبُ الرَّحْلِ مِنْهَا مُفْرَعُ سَنَدٌ

وشَمَّرَتْ عَنْ فَيَافٍ وَاجَهَتْ خُلُفَا

With saddle strap disconnected from it, a firmly fixed wrist strap,

And it bared its forearms and turned its behind.

أَبْقَى سِفَارِي ونَصِّي مِنْ عَرِيكَتِهَا

مِلْءَ العِلاَفِيِّ لاَ نيّا ولاَ عَجَفَا

It keeps my travel supplies and my drinking-vessels from its saddlebag

Full of fodder − no chaff and no chopped straw.

مِجْهَالُ رَأْدِ الضُّحَى حَتَّى تُوَزِّعَهَا

كَمَا تُوَزِّعُ عَنْ تَهْذَائِهِ الخَرِفَا

A unknown horse of the morning pasture until it distributes it

As it distributes its spittle from its cud.

فِيهَا مِرَاحٌ إِذَا مَالَ الإرَانُ كَمَا

نَجَّى اليَهُودِيُّ يَسْتَدْمِي إِذَا رَعَفَا

In it are resting places when the chestnut turns aside as

The Jew murmurs prayer when he bows down.

يُضْحِي عَلَى خَطْمِهَا مِنْ فَرِطها زَبَدٌ

كَأَنّ بِالرَّأْسِ مِنْهَا خُرْفُعاً خَشِفَا

From its velocity foam flows over its nose

As if there were a frog on its head that leapt off.